1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to liners for the beds of pickup trucks. More particularly, this invention relates to a pickup truck bed liner having integrally formed resilient opposing plastic sidewalls, a front wall and a tailgate cover, which a non-skid bed cushion or mat is integrally attached to the bottom of the two sidewalls and the front wall.
2. Background Art
The current state of the art in truck bed liners is typified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,963 to Nix et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,097 to Van Kirk et al. These patents teach similar integrally formed liners made of polyethylene plastic or a similar material. Each liner has a pair of opposing sidewalls and a front wall formed integrally with the bottom bed panel. A separate tailgate cover is provided which is attached directly to the tailgate of the pickup truck.
One of the primary problems with these liners is that the plastic material has a very low coefficient of friction. While this aids in the loading and unloading of cargo, it frequently results in the cargo sliding around during transit which can result in damage to both the cargo and the truck bed.
At least one attempt has been made to design a pickup bed liner which includes a floor panel having a higher coefficient of friction. Abstetar et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,612, teaches a four piece bed liner having the bottom floor panel manufactured from a combination of polyolefin thermoplastic and reclaimed rubber products. The primary drawback to this invention is that it is in four separate pieces, while a unitary or integral construction, with the bed panel attached, is preferred. Until now, there has been no way to construct a single piece bed liner having resilient plastic sidewalls and a rubber or similar composition floor panel.
Another problem with the traditional plastic single piece molded bed liners is a tendency of the liner to buckle or bubble in the middle of the floor panel as a result of their exposure to sunlight. This buckling causes a separation of the floor panel from the truck bed floor itself which allows debris to be blown under the bed liner due to the air turbulence created by the moving truck. Debris between the bed liner and truck bed cause abrasion resulting in rust and corrosion. This is such a problem that a number of truck manufacturers specifically exclude the truck bed from rust or corrosion protection in the truck warranty if a bed liner is used.
Accordingly, what is needed is a pickup truck bed liner of unitary construction, which includes a non-skid floor panel and which will prevent corrosion to the truck bed due to either contact with plastic or debris.